“Growing transit capacity on routes between Europe and Asia is one of our highest strategic priorities and this data clearly illustrate the success of our efforts,” Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said.

“It is of particular significance that we have taken the #1 spot in an open and highly competitive segment of the market. Aeroflot Group is perfectly positioned on transit routes between Europe and Asia, and we intend to realize our potential to the full.”

Aeroflot flies to 52 non-Russian destinations in Europe and 13 non-Russian destinations in Asia, including four Chinese cities–Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

Boosting transit traffic between Europe and Asia is a strategic priority for the airline, as it takes advantage of its modern and favorably positioned hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Long-haul capacity connecting Europe and Asia is set to grow by 6% overall this year, according to Anna.aero’s analysis of OAG data. This compares to 2% growth in both 2016 and 2015.